Lisa Beaman on Maintaining Balance

It can happen to the best of us. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or where you live. It doesn’t matter if you spend too much time at work, too much time at play, or too much time on the couch. If you are spending too much time doing anything, then your life can quickly become unbalanced.

My dad used to always say, “Everything in moderation”. I never quite understood that when I was a kid. Now that I’m an adult, however, I understand that viewpoint very well. There really can be too much of a good thing.

Let’s take work for an example. Work is good. Work is productive, brings in an income for you and your family, and is usually necessary for survival. Sometimes, however, we tend to work too hard, too much, or too long.

When we begin to put work above the things we work for, such as our families, then we begin to tilt our lives out of kilter and become unbalanced.

What do we do when our lives become unbalanced because we are focusing on our work too much? It’s not as if we can just stop working! Even if we change jobs, the tendency in us to overwork will still be there and the instability of imbalance will return.

Instead, we can readjust our thinking a little bit and focus on our priorities. It’s far better to learn to maintain balance so that we can have time for family, work, fun, and relaxation. When that happens, we can enjoy all that life has in store for us!

Even though I am passionate about balanced living, I still have to remind myself to keep things in perspective so that I do not neglect the ones that I love the most. I don’t believe that anyone is immune to this tendency.

What about you? Take this quick little quiz to see how stressed you are in your life. Unless of course you don't have time...

Did you take the quiz? What was your score? If you scored between 85-100% then you have managed to keep your life in balance. That's awesome! But if you scored below 75%, you really might want to take a good look at your life and priorities. Take some time to read more of my hubs on maintaining balance in your life. Check out the hubs outlined below and read the ones that may be helpful to you.

Is there a chance that your life has become overloaded? As crazy as it sounds, there can come a time when we end up being so busy in our lives that we can’t even live! When we become too busy to truly live life and enjoy it to the fullest we may simply be going through the motions. When that happens, we are no longer truly living and have lost control of our days, our schedules, or our choices. If you feel that you are just going through the motions, going from one activity to another without really being able to enjoy life, take a few moments to read Living The Overloaded Life. You might find some ideas that will help you remember what it's like to really live.

In today’s society, our personal boundaries are often blurry. We do not have clear cut lines separating our activities. We bring our work home and our home to work. As our personal life blends into our professional life, we get confused and forget what’s important. Before life spins out of control, we have to regain control of our schedules and regain control of our lives. If your overload and stress is causing resentment and bitterness with your family, take some time to read Personal Boundaries: Keeping Work at Work.

Time management is a term that we are all familiar with and one that may cause many of us to cringe. Who can really manage time anyway? Energy management, however, is a completely different concept. We can learn to manage our own energy levels to maximize our time. Understanding how to use time and energy management together will help us take a different approach to calendars and to-do lists. Read this article on Time and Energy Management for suggestions on how you can better manage your own time and energy and find ways to do and accomplish what you want the most.

If you are feeling the symptoms of stress, you are not alone. Stress is an all too common problem in our lives today. Our schedules can get so crowded with work, activities, and responsibilities that we often don’t take the time we need to take care of ourselves. Check out Constantly Stressed: Tips for Stress Reduction for some suggestions on ways to reduce stress and regain control. If you are feeling overloaded and stressed or if you find that your calendar is overbooked and your schedule is out of control, then this hub will be a helpful start to a less stressed, more productive and enjoyable life.

Wait a second! Is that your cell phone vibrating? Did you just get a text, e-mail, or phone call? Is your cell phone within reach right this very moment? We all love our cell phone gadgets! Especially now that they keep increasing in power and effectiveness. We don't just use them for making and receiving calls anymore. These mobile devices that connect us to the world have become so much a part of us that we feel lost or naked without them. Do you feel that way? Could you be addicted to your cell phone? The purpose of the latest technology in mobile devices is to communicate more effectively, when we become addicted, however, these cell phones actually impaired communication in our personal lives. Our dependence on our actually causes us to disconnect from the people around us. Read Distracted by Cell Phone Addiction: Technology Impair Communication to learn some simple suggestions to keep these gadgets in perspective.

Balanced living is not something that I can honestly claim to have mastered. However, I passionately believe that in order to maintain a balanced lifestyle, we have to be

Balanced living does not come naturally to most of us. In order to maintain a balanced life style and keep our priorities in check, we have to consistently work towards that goal. If you find yourself or your family suffering from your own imbalance, I hope that you will take the time to read the links outlined above.

If you enjoyed this or found it helpful, please vote it up. I would love to hear from you in the comment section below how balanced living or stress affects you in your life. Thank you for reading!